Survival kit connection to harness

ABSTRACT

A female connector in the form of a U shaped yoke is held in the webbing which leads from the survival kit. The U shaped yoke straddles a male connector casing a tongue of which is stitched in a harness webbing. Inclined grooves on the inside of each leg of the yoke guide spring pressed locking pins into sockets in said yoke legs. Said pins project from said male connector casing, and means are provided to withdraw said pins from said sockets by applying gas pressure.

3,624,8l3 ll/l97l Gaylord...............

Primary ExaminerBcrnard A. Gclak Attorney, Agent, or Firm-George B.White ABSTRACT A female connector in the form of a U shaped yoke is heldin the webbing which leads from the survival kit. The U shaped yokestraddles a male connector casing a tongue of which is stitched in aharness webbing. lnclined grooves on the inside of each leg of the yokeguide spring pressed locking pins into sockets in said yoke legs. Saidpins project from said male connector casing, and means are provided towithdraw said pins from said sockets by applying gas pressure.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures All I v F ill United States Patent GaylordSURVIVAL KIT CONNECTION TO HARNESS Inventor:

[73] Assignee: H. Koch & Sons, Inc.,

[75] John A. Gaylord, San Diego, Calif.

Costa Madera, Marin County, Calif.

Jan. 22, 1974 [22] Filed:

211 Appl. No.: 435,595

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[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,992,467 7/1961 Gaylord24/230 AN W l nl 1 SURVIVAL KIT CONNECTION TO HARNESS BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION ming of the moving parts which withdraw the locking pins in anemergency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front view of theconventional straps and hardware showing the gas operated improvedconnectors in locked position.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the female member of the connector and the malemember of the connector in connected position.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the connector members released andseparated.

FIG. 4 is a party cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, showingthe path of the movement of the locking pin in the guide groove into thesocket.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the gas actuated mechanism for therelease of the locking-pins.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The female connector is a generally U shaped yokel, the middle portion of which is held in a webbing 2 which latter isconnected to a survival kit. In each leg 3 of the yoke l is a guidegroove 4 terminating in a socket 6 to accommodate a locking-pin 7projecting from a male connector 8. The guide grooves 4 are on theinside surfaces of the legs 3 and are inclined as shown in FIG. 4.

The male connector 8 has a tubular casing 9, the cylindrical cavity 11of which is divided by a partition 12 into opposite chambers. In eachchamber works a piston l3 and from each piston 13 extends outwardly oneof the locking pins 7. The outer end of each chamber is plugged by asuitable threaded plug 14 which has a hole 16 therethrough toaccommodate the adjacent locking pin 7. Between the partition 12 andeach piston 13 is a coil spring 17 which resiliently urges the adjacentpiston 13 outwardly. A flange 18 on each lockingpin 7, spaced from thepiston 13, abuts against the adjacent plug 14 to limit the outwardstroke of the piston 13 thereby to leave a space for receiving thepressure medium for the actuation hereinafter described.

A tongue 19 extends from the body 9 and is stitched in another webbing21 which latter is extended from a harness. A gas conduit 22 suitablysecured to the harness webbing 21 is divided into two branches 23, eachof which connects to an intake port 24 leading into the adjacent spacebetween the piston 13 and the plug 14 so that when gas under pressure isintroduced into the conduit the pistons 13 are simultaneously movedinwardly of the cylindrical chambers and against the tension of thesprings 17, thereby withdrawing the locking pins 7 from the sockets 6and separating the connection.

I claim:

I. Connecting means for harness webbing comprising a male connectormember,

locking pins reciprocably extended in opposite directions from said maleconnecting member,

a piston on each locking pin reciprocable in said male connector member,

resilient means to normally urge said piston outwardly so as to projectsaid locking pins outward from said male connecting member,

and means to limit the outward travel of each piston thereby to form achamber for gas under pressure,

a female connector member, elements on said female connector memberbeing adapted to straddle said male connector member,

there being a socket in each of said straddling elements registerablewith the respective locking pins,

and means to conduct gas under pressure into said chamberssimultaneously for forcing said pistons against said resilient meansthereby to withdraw said locking pins from the respective sockets.

2. The connecting means specified in claim 1,

said female connector member being generally U shaped and said elementsbeing the legs of said U shaped member,

and an inclined guide on the inside of each leg leading to the adjacentsocket for guiding the respective locking pin into adjacent sockets.

3. The connecting means specified in claim 2, and

said male connector member including a casing having a cylindricalcavity therein,

a partition dividing said cavity into said chambers,

each of said pistons working in one of said chambers,

accommodate the adjacent locking pin.

1. Connecting means for harness webbing comprising A MALE CONNECTOR MEMBER, LOCKING PINS RECIPROCABLY EXTENDED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM SAID MALE CONNECTING MEMBER, A PISTON ON EACH LOCKING PIN RECIPROCABLE IN SAID MALE CONNECTOR MEMBER, RESILIENT MEANS TO NORMALLY URGE SAID PISTON OUTWARDLY SO AS TO PROJECT SAID LOCKING PINS OUTWARD FROM SAID MALE CONNECTING MEMBER, AND MEANS TO LIMIT THE OUTWARD TRAVEL OF EACH PISTON THEREBY TO FORM A CHAMBER FOR GAS UNDER PRESSURE, A FEMALE CONNECTOR MEMBER, ELEMENTS ON SAID FEMALE CONNECTOR MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO STRADDLE SAID MALE CONNECTOR MEMBER, THERE BEING A SOCKET IN EACH OF SAID STRADDLING ELEMENTS REGISTERABLE WITH THE RESPECTIVE LOCKING PINS, AND MEANS TO CONDUCT GAS UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID CHAMBERS SIMULTANEOUSLY FOR FORCING SAID PISTONS AGAINST SAID RESILIENT MEANS THEREBY TO WITHDRAW SAID LOCKING PINS FROM THE RESPECTIVE SOCKETS.
 2. The connecting means specified in claim 1, said female connector member being generally U shaped and said elements being the legs of said U shaped member, and an inclined guide on the inside of each leg leading to the adjacent socket for guiding the respective locking pin into adjacent sockets.
 3. The connecting means specified in claim 2, and said male connector member including a casing having a cylindrical cavity therein, a partition dividing said cavity into said chambers, each of said pistons working in one of said chambers, a plug closing the outside end of each chamber and having a sealed passage therethrough to slidably accommodate the adjacent locking pin. 